Raining on Rain's Parade: Celebrity Soldiers and Special Treatment

As most K-pop fans are aware (thanks in no small part to Leeteuk‘s months-long whinefest of a grand farewell), male celebrities in South Korea face a unique restriction on their careers: they must fulfill nearly two years of mandatory military service, and it must be completed during what many would consider to be the prime of their youth and popularity (generally, at some point in their twenties). By virtue of their fame, many celebrities wind up having an easier go of it than do most soldiers; serving chiefly as outreach/public relations officers, many celebrities wind up escaping the harsher tasks delegated to ordinary active duty soldiers (like shoveling snow until the DMZ is clearly visible from a plane). Granted, not all celebrities opt to take what many would call “the easy way out”; Hyun-bin, for example, went the extra mile and volunteered for the Marines, which is a notoriously difficult branch of service. However, his enlistment was exceptional largely because almost no celebrity in his right mind would choose to suffer more when they could spend their year and ten months acting in plays and performing to “boost troop morale” (which, let’s be real — is a performance by some dude really going to do as much for the grand majority of the soldiers as would a performance from, say, KARA?).

Which makes it completely baffling, at least to this writer, that soldiers whose jobs are already so unbelievably cushy wind up getting themselves into hot water with the South Korean public by breaking rules — or at least appearing to, which is enough to stir the pot and create media speculation that inevitably devolves into hysterical mudslinging. The latest culprit? None other than the ninja assassin himself, Rain, who is currently under fire for abusing certain privileges extended to him as a celebrity.

Rain enlisted (after delaying until pretty much the eleventh hour) on October 11, 2011. Though he originally intended to serve as an active duty soldier, he was tapped in February to become an entertainment soldier, a role that carries with it a number of perks. Most obviously, designation as an entertainment soldier would exempt Rain from doing pretty much anything related to combat or defense maneuvers, but entertainment soldiers (and any soldiers that are members of the Defense Media Agency of the Ministry of National Defense) also have a unique set of privileges that allow them more time off base than other soldiers receive. Given that their duties in promoting the military all across the country may take them far from the base in Yongsan (which is located in Seoul), overnight stays off-base are permitted, and many celebrities do indeed spend a good deal of time involved in activities away from base. However, Rain is under fire for potentially abusing this privilege, and the numbers don’t look spectacular. In 300 days as a member of the Defense Media Agency, Rain took 71 vacation days: 44 official overnight stays, 17 stand-down days, and 10 unofficial overnight stays. While serving as an active duty soldier, he took 25 vacation days, bringing his grand total up to 94 days away from base. If one were to average it out, he essentially took a vacation every 4.22 days.

As mentioned (and in Rain’s defense), it isn’t totally abnormal for celebrity soldiers to be out and about, but a closer look at the numbers sinks Rain’s case a bit: out of his 44 official overnight stays, 25 were in Seoul — and though it has been pointed out that he was using these days to practice choreography and record music, it has also been stated that he was unaccompanied by superiors on many of these outings and often failed to return to base when he was supposed to. The defense offered here is that studio use is expensive during the day, but I don’t buy this for a second; surely the Ministry of Defense has enough cash to book a studio during business hours. All in all, Rain’s goings-about in Seoul have prompted enough suspicion for the Ministry of Defense to launch an investigation.

Complicating matters is the recent revelation that Rain is dating drama megastar Kim Tae-hee. Given that a large chunk of Rain’s official overnight stays off-base took place in Seoul, this has led to speculation that Rain abused his privileges in order to hang out with his ladyfriend — a particularly egregious offense, due principally to the fact that lots of young men in the military left behind girlfriends that they can only see a few times a year (and given that soldiers are not permitted to have their own cellphone on base, communication with loved ones isn’t exactly simple). To make matters even worse, he was photographed off base without his hat — and though this may seem like a trivial matter, as a public figure who is supposed to be promoting the military as a member of the PR squad, it doesn’t look good. Nor does it do him any favors as the South Korean public grows increasingly heated over his perceived indiscretions. Currently, it is being reported that a few online commenters have even suggested that he be made to repeat his military service as did Psy, who was similarly accused of using celebrity privilege to breeze through his military service.

As I mentioned in an earlier article about MC Mong, military service is simply not something to be screwed around with in South Korea — and for celebrities who do not toe the line, the public can be pretty unforgiving. Criticism of Rain’s actions is not necessarily the product of an unreasonable lynch mob — quite frankly, complaints that celebrities are getting off pretty easy in the military are legitimate. It isn’t totally impossible to understand why South Korea would invest in a large PR arm of the military; compulsory military service increasingly does not sit well with millions of young men who did not live through the horrors of the Korean War, have little to no connection or experience with North Korea, and who do not necessarily dream of reunification. Despite the rhetoric surrounding the military, enlistment is often regarded as a necessity rather than a patriotic act, something that all able-bodied males just have to put up with for two years of their prime. Making military service look appealing — and motivating soldiers to see their service as meaningful and for the good of the country — is no doubt critical. However, the PR squad is not an actor’s guild; its members are still soldiers. There is no good reason why they should not be held to the same rules and restrictions as are other soldiers, and certainly no good reason why celebrities who find themselves in this branch of the service should make matters worse for themselves by giving anyone any reason to point the finger. Everyone knows that celebrities in the military do almost none of the tasks that make life in the military miserable for regular soldiers; why call more attention to this undeniable fact? In this regard, Rain’s actions have been foolish — and this remains true whether he is found guilty of any sort of violation or not.

Regardless of what becomes of Rain, things don’t look good for the rest of South Korea’s celebrity soldiers. The Ministry of Defense will almost certainly have to answer to an increasing number of citizens who are calling for a reduction in the amount of time that they are allowed off-base. Less coddling and more equitable treatment of celebrities in the military is something that probably ought to have been addressed a long time ago, but thanks to Rain, it looks as though it will get its due quite soon. Rain may be a beloved public figure, and he and other celebrities may be well-known, admired, and talented people, but gods they are not. Unfairly rewarding celebrities for being celebrities in an institution that is supposed to promote respect for the well-being of the unit above the individual is absurd. Celebrities often complain that they want to be able to live like an ordinary person — and if this is true, then they should learn that sometimes, being an ordinary person requires doing things that you don’t want to do — like joining the millions of other young men who are sacrificing some of their best years for their country, for example.

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seriously, the fact that hes had so many leave days from the military is atrocious. If my family and friends can abide by the military rules and regulations, why the fuck can’t he? Celebs they may be but definitely they aren’t Gods, get a grip Rain, you’ve just lost my respect, Good Job, Douche.

Jocelyn Naea

seriously, the fact that hes had so many leave days from the military is atrocious. If my family and friends can abide by the military rules and regulations, why the fuck can’t he? Celebs they may be but definitely they aren’t Gods, get a grip Rain, you’ve just lost my respect, Good Job, Douche.

I am a Rain
Fan. No question. I am one of those ppl that are pretty crazy about him. When I
heard the dating news my heart broke a little bit. But I have never thought
that could lead to this. I was upset and like most ppl thought dating was not a
crime and since when they start punishing ppl for not wearing a hat…….it never
had occurred to me this could affect other. Not just as a Rain fan but as a
Kpop fan who happened to have more than one bias, I always thought of course
they will get preferential treatment and I never thought what that meant to
other soldier.

Lets hope
they wont punish him severely…….lets hope they be fair in giving out his punishment.

I was going
to say they should be fair and give out the punishment as they would to any
other soldier. But he wasn’t acting like any other solider so. better not say
anything.

dany17

Interesting article. I agree that he should have been more discreet, and even if, let’s say, he is in love, he is still a 30 year old man who should control his actions better. I feel that the whole situation is a little exaggerated because I am not Korean and can’t really relate to all of this, just as many say, he was not wearing his hat along with the uniform- so what’s the big deal? (thanks for explaining it, by the way) but in conclusion the truth is somewhere in the middle and he definitely made some mistakes and he seemed self-centered, not caring how this will affect the lives of all the men in that entertainment unit and in the army in general.

It’s a well-known fact that majority of celebrities have an easier time in the military. There are many celebrities who were in active service but also had many vacation days. Only a few, however, have ever been criticized as much as Rain because at least they followed the rules given to them. When they were off-base, they weren’t seen in public. For Rain to be given so much freedom yet still somehow manage to fuck it up is just ridiculous and disgusting.

This is why the Koreans love Hyun Bin, Jo Insung, etc. Actors who went off to their military service as quietly as they could, regardless of their superstar status. Hyun Bin was in the Marines. Jo Insung was in the Air Force. Hyun Bin was apparently even offered several vacation leaves during his time in the marines but he never took them, only using the regular number of leaves given to everybody else.

Now I have even more respect for 19-year-old Yoo Seungho, who’s apparently enlisting in the military once filming for “I Miss You” ends. He’s mentioned before of a desire to serve in the Marines and be with fellow soldiers his age. For a beloved child star and a fast rising young actor to willingly leave at a young age gets him so much points in my book. No year-long whining like Leeteuk did or the multiple extensions like Rain did.

I could definitely say he is very paranoid of losing popularity to others. At the age of 29, his idol career is pretty much well on its way to an end. Also pretty embarrassing for someone his age to whine like a damn teenager, honestly. I’d hope military service actually gets him to actually grow up but seeing that he’s not exactly doing anything related to actual military work (i.e. performing a musical), it’s doubtful.

Props to Yoo Seungho, even though I didn’t really like him in God of Study. It’s really best to get the service done and over with as soon as possible, much like most Korean guys prefer to do so they can finish college and enjoy their 20s without having the thought of compulsory service bothering them (plus in Korea, it’s very useful for your resume when applying for a job). Aside from that, most junior officers and non-commissioned officers are likely in their early or mid 20s so for people who start their service at an older age…well, it’s pretty awkward, being bossed around by someone younger than you but in higher rank, especially in Korea. Friend of my dad ended up in that road and regretted not serving earlier.

From what I heard though, the musical thing that Leeteuk is doing is only temporary and that he’ll probably go back to being an active soldier once it’s over. I hope he does – he earned a lot of negative points from many people with his drawn out enlistment talk (including me, just stop with the melodrama already -.- )

From what I heard though, the musical thing that Leeteuk is doing is only temporary and that he’ll probably go back to being an active soldier once it’s over. I hope he does – he earned a lot of negative points from many people with his drawn out enlistment talk (including me, just stop with the melodrama already -.- )

takasar1

i think i can predict every comment on this article:

1) the ‘half-the-time-i-am-lying-through-my-teeth’ comment: “rain is a scumbag” bla bla bla, “my family bla bla bla went through it so why cant he”
2) the fanboy comment: “it isnt rain’s fault, the military are to blame”
3) the moronic comment: “he was banging kim tae hee, heheheh, i would take as many leaves i wanted if i were him!”
4) ignorant comment: “why does korea even have compulsory military service?”

honestly, if you take a good look at the state of the world today and have a good understanding of macro-economics, the world-wide shift of power towards asia and international politics/diplomacy, you will quickly realize that north korea will never launch a large offensive against the south. this form of conscription employed by south korea is (i fear) nothing more than an attempt to prove that it has the power to defend its citizens and to maintain its standing in the region. if north korea wanted the south gone, anyone with at least one functioning brain cell should know that it would take 15 minutes at most and in the next 60 minutes, they would also be destroyed.

rain is getting bashed for taking advantage of his situation, personally, given his position i would do the exact same and how in the hell can anyone, in a country where conscription is in place, say that he is unpatriotic?!

his fault is that he decided to go and push his boundaries even further. for that, he is an idiot of the highest caliber. rain, take advantage of what you have!

You do know that N.Korea made several unprovoked attacks on S.Korea killing dozens of military men and civilians in the progress within the last few years don’t you or do you only have a short term memory?

takasar1

my short term memory is just perfect, but maybe the problem is your eyes? ” large offensive against the south”. for every attack by north korea, it has been limited in scale and there have been reasons as to why they the attack was carried out (however flimsy the reasons and extreme the actions). tell me, what can the south korean army do against missiles fired at civilian populations? the dmz does not exist to prevent the north koreans from firing missiles, it exists to protect the south korean border from a land-based invasion. my second paragraph is correct is it not? you dont enforce conscription to deal with a couple of artillery barrages, do you? an efficient and effective anti-missile system is what is needed to tackle this issue. as for the sinking of the cheonan, no one really knows what happened, the south and the usa blame the north, who naturally reject blame. as for abductions, to counter this the secret services should be strengthened, not the standing army. all aggression against south korea has been small-scale and often covert and carried out in a way in which direct military action by the usa is sure to not occur. north korea limits itself to rhetoric, the new leader has not exactly antagonized his cousins in the south and seems (at least for the time being) to contend himself with domestic affairs.

takasar1

my short term memory is just perfect, but maybe the problem is your eyes? ” large offensive against the south”. for every attack by north korea, it has been limited in scale and there have been reasons as to why they the attack was carried out (however flimsy the reasons and extreme the actions). tell me, what can the south korean army do against missiles fired at civilian populations? the dmz does not exist to prevent the north koreans from firing missiles, it exists to protect the south korean border from a land-based invasion. my second paragraph is correct is it not? you dont enforce conscription to deal with a couple of artillery barrages, do you? an efficient and effective anti-missile system is what is needed to tackle this issue. as for the sinking of the cheonan, no one really knows what happened, the south and the usa blame the north, who naturally reject blame. as for abductions, to counter this the secret services should be strengthened, not the standing army. all aggression against south korea has been small-scale and often covert and carried out in a way in which direct military action by the usa is sure to not occur. north korea limits itself to rhetoric, the new leader has not exactly antagonized his cousins in the south and seems (at least for the time being) to contend himself with domestic affairs.

Black_Plague

Regardless, to have reduced military strength by abolishing the draft when you have a hostile neighbor armed with thousands of artillery and missiles and over a million men is not exactly wise either. Even by looking at the numbers, it’s only natural you’d have to keep your guard up, no matter how overstated the actual threat level is and I doubt it’d look great for the South Korean government to look like it’s relying overly on the US military like the 50s and 60s, especially when part of the population has anti-US attitudes.

A threat is still a threat, no matter how small or overstated it is and that’s why both the US, USSR and many countries in Europe enforced conscription during the Cold War even though they knew an all-out war was suicidal.

Furthermore, when the North collapses in say, the next 10 years or so, you’ll still need a huge substantial number of troops to enforce and ensure disarmament, security and order as well as aiding humanitarian efforts with NGOs, considering the massive size of the DPRK’s both active and reserve forces along with the rest of the population (about 20 million or so) in desperate need of basic essentials and the like. And how about when China decides to create a small ‘buffer zone’ when that occurs? Again, a large military strength is required to make them think twice about that. Abolish the draft and the ROK military will find itself awfully overstretched in that scenario – and that scenario is a very possible reality as North Korea can’t maintain its current status forever.

Alternatively, what if you have radicals in the government or military that seize power? Possibilities are limitless and they should be all taken into account and consideration. Not everything goes according to plan when it comes to military strategy and doctrine – maintaining preparedness is an absolutely crucial element in the military, especially when you got an unpredictable neighbor next door.

As for anti-missile systems, or anti-ballistic missiles (ABM) as it’s called – the ROK military is very well on way to developing such, along with producing more ballistic and cruise missiles with extended range. ABMs however, take up a lot of money, are time-consuming to produce in significant numbers and it’ll take years to field them – and the ROK military is not as well-off as the US, Russia, China, Japan, France and the UK when it comes to the budget (and all those countries have ABMs). Even by the time they’re fielded in sufficient numbers, they’d be next to useless if the North collapses unless the ROK gets into less-than-welcome relations with China or some rogue KPA nutjob group overruns some missile silo and threatens to fire it at Seoul.

takasar1

i dont care about whether or not south korea abolishes conscription, my argument is/was that north korea will not launch a major offensive against the south and i presented reasons to support that argument. i also stated (or implied) that a large standing force, would not have deterred the north if they really wanted to destroy south korea. i may also have touched upon the fact that firepower, since the franco-prussian war, has been, in many ways, far more decisive than sheer manpower alone. besides, history has often shown that a size-able professional fighting force is often better than poorly trained reservists unless one is engaged in a ‘total’ war. moreover the social costs of conscription are huge and when combined with inherent corruption, we get ‘celebrity soldiers’ like rain. do people really think that the military was unaware of rain’s comings and goings? they most likely knew full well what he was doing, yet did will not charge him and are now merely responding to public outcry. a hearing?!! wouldn’t any other soldier be in the doghouse by now? society is and will always be divided, why? some people will always have more money/power than others and human greed and selfishness will encourage them to use this for their own purposes, regardless of whether it is ‘morally correct’ or not.

a third of your comment seems to hinge on the assumption that north korea will collapse. i say: how? the north korean people are obviously cowed into submission, so the likelyhood of a revolution of sorts is slim (unless the top brass decide to rebel), no-one in their right minds will readily invade due to the close proximity of seoul and tokyo to ROK nuclear bases. additionally, north korea is not as vulnerable as it was a decade or so ago. if the new leader means as he says, then the struggling economy will slowly be reformed at a snail’s pace. if it does collapse then i would give it around 50-80 years. you touched on the fact that china uses north korea as a buffer zone and prc support with regards to economic reform could prove pivotal.

Black_Plague

Regardless, manpower still plays a significant role in the strategic sense – and a reason why there had been concerns why troop levels in Iraq weren’t sufficient enough to get the job done as soon as possible (ultimately taking nearly a decade). For occupying a country completely, manpower plays a very strong role into this.

A South Korean professional fighting force is going to see a massive reduction in not just manpower but in equipment is well – from tanks, artillery, helicopters, anti-air weaponry and so forth – artillery in particular being extremely crucial . The ROK’s mountainous terrain also emphasizes heavily on infantry and artillery so I don’t see how a reduced force is going to divide fairly between all combat and support services either. Budget-wise, the ROK military, as I said is not well off as the countries I said and if you were to professionalize it, the active manpower would likely drain very massively (to a reduced strength of 100-150 thousand at best?) despite increase in quality. Even US troops tend to regard the current ROK troops as capable in their own right despite the latter being conscripts and the scene of ‘total war’ with the DPRK is still a possibility no matter HOW small it is. If a conscript army is well led, supplied, funded, equipped and trained, it can perform just as well as a professional army can in the battlefield – the Wehrmacht during WW2 and the US military in Vietnam are such examples (though neither were victorious they still had a great deal of battles won and inflicted more losses on the enemy than what they lost).

As for celebrity soldiers going unpunished – you’re looking at a massive government institution with HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of personnel and generalizing it in one big picture. I highly doubt anyone above the rank of major would really care since in the company and platoon level, it’s the captains and lieutenants’ job to ensure their men are up to standards. Everyone has their own responsibilities but blaming a soldier’s abuse of free-time fully on his superiors is folly. Which in this case, Rain’s immediate superiors – who’re likely junior officers. Not those that are ten ranks up his wise-ass head, who’re likely too busy with more important issues in the military such as equipment procurement, revising strategy and planning exercises etc.

As regarding the North Korean situation – given the situation of their economy, it’s going to collapse in the future – how do you think the Kim dynasty is even going to hold on to 50-80 years? Nothing lasts forever and the way I see it, it’s not going to improve any time soon even with Chinese support. Whatever Kim Jong Un says, it’s simply too late and the damage has been done. If the DPRK can’t even feed its military adequately despite reforms, then it’s looking at a lot of pissed off soldiers who’d rather mutiny (and even then, every year, some actually try to escape the country) in the near future, regardless if it’s from the top brass or not. Interesting you also said ‘ROK nuclear bases’. The ROK doesn’t possess any nuclear weapons or any WMDs of the kind, if that’s what you’re saying and it’s highly doubtful it ever will anytime soon since that would cause a massive imbalance and potential instability in the east Asia region with China and Japan.

takasar1

it is impossible to compare iraq and afghanistan to the korean peninsula. manpower is just one of the mnay reasons for why the iraqi expedition failed, i can think of many other far more important reasons for this failure.

there will never be a total war, a total war is a conflict in which all resources are utilized to help achieve a military objective and in an age of nuclear deterrence, unless Reagan’s ‘star wars’ fantasy becomes a reality, no two nuclear armed states will go to war. “If a conscript army is well led, supplied, funded, equipped and trained”, i am sorry but aren’t these characteristics usually associated with a professional army; being well trained, supplied and so on so forth. training a man for 2 years and then allowing him to return to civilian life leaves you with nothing but a group of men whose ability varies greatly. how many of them will be able to remember their training when/if the time comes up? by ‘inherent corruption’ i meant that corruption is definitely present in the south korean military (as it is in every other military), be it in the top ranks or not, is insignificant when faced with a situation like this, the fact is the system is not decided by the rank and file but by their superiors. if a man is given 3 days off a week he will probably take off another day, but if a soldier is given only 3hr free a week, then it might not be so wrong to assume that he will take more time off (since he is disciplined and used to that particular way of life). if rain was strictly disciplined and kept on a tight leash do you think this would have happened? apparently rain was able to request time off while other soldiers were not. is that still rain’s fault?

why do i think north korea wont collapse immediately or in the near future? simple, i mentioned my reasons; powerlessness of the people, steadily improving conditions, large army in place and so on. how do you know that north korea cant feed its own soldiers? last time i checked the majority of the food is apparently going towards the military. chinese aid is invaluable, the north would not have gotten so far without it. kim jong un is far more of a technocrat then his own father and far less ideologically driven (apparently anyway). it is never too late, north korea has hit rock bottom, the only way is up and KJU seems to have a stable powerbase around him. besides, north korea will not be allowed to fall, the majority of south koreans do not want re-unification, the chinese want a buffer state and the U.S, i am sure (in its own sneaky way), has its own reasons for keeping north korea around.

wait, ROK does not have nuclear weapons?!?!?!?!? this puts me in a tough spot and forces me to possibly re-think my opinion of you my good friend. do you simply not know? or are you a conspiracy theorist? ROK almost definitely has a small yet sizeable nuclear stockpile, not only has it been proved that there is a distinct possibility that they could have gotten their hands on high grade uranium but both japan and the south have recorded instances where the north conducted nuclear tests. nuclear missiles have also been spotted by the military using reconnaissance aircraft. they also have access to chemical weapons. this is not simply a case of deja-vu, this is not iraq, it is not a case of ‘there may be…’ or ‘we are almost certain’. there is far too much evidence collected from a number of different sources that the north does have access to nuclear weapons.

anyhow, its been fun but i am tired, this is a topic where neither of us will agree so i cant be bothered trying to change your opinion (you may feel the same).

bye

xNoirX

“there will never be a total war”

Uncle Chamberlain! Is that you?

xNoirX

“there will never be a total war”

Uncle Chamberlain! Is that you?

xNoirX

“there will never be a total war”

Uncle Chamberlain! Is that you?

xNoirX

“there will never be a total war”

Uncle Chamberlain! Is that you?

takasar1

it is his descendant timothy who would like to remind you of the damage that nukes can do and how only a limited number of nations possess them.

juhi007

Dude even pak and india have standoffs on regular basis….and v dont have all dis drama….why cnt dey allow cellphone…I understand its implications ven ur on d frontline…bt in a regular city and places of no strategical imp…..dey seem a bit off

takasar1

What?!?

Yes and nuclear weapons have prevented standoffs from turning into eat

You do know that N.Korea made several unprovoked attacks on S.Korea killing dozens of military men and civilians in the progress within the last few years don’t you or do you only have a short term memory?

yuki kokoro

I read much stuff about military in SK, yet I learned so much with this article. Thanks!

I totally didn’t know that there were “entertainment soldiers”.

I agree that Rain was wrong. How in the world can he face nearly half the people he will interact with in his life, knowing that he cheated them like that. Scratch that, he cheated more than half of them. Think about all the girlfriends/wives that endured that 2 years.

I’m not in accord with the mentality that “I endured it, therefore everybody must endure it” that means that older people stop the rules from changing for younger people (or worst, the draft to stop). But what we are taking about is Rain not respecting the same rules as everybody who served in 2011-2012. Not good.

On the other hand, the only problems Rain will probably cause is only for himself. Lost of popularity and/or extended service. It will not affect everybody else except him so I don’t really care all that much.

i have yet to see what happens to Rain after in my opinion using his special treatment as a celebrity and breaking the rules too much that as those before him as seen for example with MC Mong and Yoo Seung-jun used their celebrity to get out of the army card and was not following military duties in South Korea which ended up with negative reactions to the public and might have ended their South Korean celebrity career and PSY who has to repeat his military duty before currently signing to YG after finishing his military duty. as Dana stated what Rain did was frankly foolish as Rain and other South Korean male celebrities should be doing their duties and following the rules of their duties of being required just like ordinary South Korean men are doing without special treatment just because they are a celebrity and they should know they also have to follow the laws and military duties in their own country as a South Korean citizen themselves as well otherwise there will be criticism from the public here’s to hoping Rain might learn his lesson from this and not screw up in the future

I’ve never understood why celebrities get preferential treatment anyway. Why don’t they just do away with the whole entertainment soldier status and treat them like any other?

jesuis2

Agreed.

jesuis2

Agreed.

jesuis2

Agreed.

jesuis2

Agreed.

jesuis2

Agreed.

foladisqus

I guess the military is the great divider between people and “other people” that makes everyone the same in terms of treatment. I think celebs are people too and they should adhere to at least standard procedure. It probably is hard to stay in the spotlight during this time, but I think social networking is a celebreties safest bet, to avoid potential rule bending.

gabryska

First of all people who believe in equal treatment of everyone in the military are plain stupid.

It`s obvious that some groups will be privileged. And it will not change – even if
they make Rain to serve in the army twice.
Secondly, the problem isnt`t the number of his vacation days. If you look at KCM or Boom
they even took more vacation days … and it`s not a public secret. According to
DEMA articles that were published about this whole `scandal` in some extent depart
from the truth cause JJH was granted by his superiors this amount of holidays due
to rewards for model behaviour etc. and it`s normal for all entertainment soldiers.
Nevertheless as a breach of conduct they consider the fact that JJH while being
in town has seen KTH, who even lifted him to the base. From the photos that
were published by Dispatch it seems that it occurred 3 times.

To summarise, he didn`t abuse his privileges in terms of number of holidays but in
spending his time outside the base.

For me he will be treaded as a scapegoat even though he surely isn`t the only entertainment soldier that spends his free time outside the base with his beloved ones. However, he is the one that is followed everywhere by paparazzi so he was caught red-handed..

Don`t get me wrong – I do believe that he should be punished but this will not change the
fact that some groups in the military will be treated more favorably than others.

gabryska

First of all people who believe in equal treatment of everyone in the military are plain stupid.

It`s obvious that some groups will be privileged. And it will not change – even if
they make Rain to serve in the army twice.
Secondly, the problem isnt`t the number of his vacation days. If you look at KCM or Boom
they even took more vacation days … and it`s not a public secret. According to
DEMA articles that were published about this whole `scandal` in some extent depart
from the truth cause JJH was granted by his superiors this amount of holidays due
to rewards for model behaviour etc. and it`s normal for all entertainment soldiers.
Nevertheless as a breach of conduct they consider the fact that JJH while being
in town has seen KTH, who even lifted him to the base. From the photos that
were published by Dispatch it seems that it occurred 3 times.

To summarise, he didn`t abuse his privileges in terms of number of holidays but in
spending his time outside the base.

For me he will be treaded as a scapegoat even though he surely isn`t the only entertainment soldier that spends his free time outside the base with his beloved ones. However, he is the one that is followed everywhere by paparazzi so he was caught red-handed..

Don`t get me wrong – I do believe that he should be punished but this will not change the
fact that some groups in the military will be treated more favorably than others.

gabryska

First of all people who believe in equal treatment of everyone in the military are plain stupid.

It`s obvious that some groups will be privileged. And it will not change – even if
they make Rain to serve in the army twice.
Secondly, the problem isnt`t the number of his vacation days. If you look at KCM or Boom
they even took more vacation days … and it`s not a public secret. According to
DEMA articles that were published about this whole `scandal` in some extent depart
from the truth cause JJH was granted by his superiors this amount of holidays due
to rewards for model behaviour etc. and it`s normal for all entertainment soldiers.
Nevertheless as a breach of conduct they consider the fact that JJH while being
in town has seen KTH, who even lifted him to the base. From the photos that
were published by Dispatch it seems that it occurred 3 times.

To summarise, he didn`t abuse his privileges in terms of number of holidays but in
spending his time outside the base.

For me he will be treaded as a scapegoat even though he surely isn`t the only entertainment soldier that spends his free time outside the base with his beloved ones. However, he is the one that is followed everywhere by paparazzi so he was caught red-handed..

Don`t get me wrong – I do believe that he should be punished but this will not change the
fact that some groups in the military will be treated more favorably than others.

shannie4888

Obviously in Rain’s mind, he hasn’t entered the military yet. He thinks he’s on vacation. What he did is inexcusable and he’ll definitely regret it. Celebrities need to realize that it is also their duty to serve their country, just like very other soldier’s and they should do it honorably.

All of them already get enough perks, and taking advantage of them is just being greedy. I don’t know how Rain is going to salvage his reputation, but he’s the one who digged himself this deep and very dark hole.

shannie4888

Obviously in Rain’s mind, he hasn’t entered the military yet. He thinks he’s on vacation. What he did is inexcusable and he’ll definitely regret it. Celebrities need to realize that it is also their duty to serve their country, just like very other soldier’s and they should do it honorably.

All of them already get enough perks, and taking advantage of them is just being greedy. I don’t know how Rain is going to salvage his reputation, but he’s the one who digged himself this deep and very dark hole.

Black_Plague

Coming from someone whose male relatives also served in the ROK Army and Air Force ever since the 50s (yes, as early as the Korean War – many did not survive, tragically) and planning to enlist in the NZ Army myself this year, I’d say that the idiots (yes both officers and noncoms) in charge of the unit he is in are just as much to blame for allowing him so much leaves in the first place though Rain himself ain’t innocent either. Far from it. I’d even go as to say celebrity soldiers that take cushy jobs in the military are an embarrassment.

Actually, I prefer that the military extend his service by another 6 months or even a whole year, transfer him into a frontline unit somewhere in the DMZ and be more strict about his time off-base. Screw whatever the fans or public would complain about it. Abusing the time-off you get is unacceptable and if I were the officer in charge of the unit Rain is in, I wouldn’t hesitate to have him doing a lot of manual labor as punishment and would have done the same to Boom and KCM and anyone else thinking they could abuse their free-time to such lengths, not to mention the consideration of demoting, especially if they get to the rank of a non-commissioned officer (such as corporals and sergeants). Having such men leading others would lead to awful discipline and low morale, which is absolutely unacceptable in the military.

Ironically, Rain probably had no problem with going through boot camp considering he’s an extremely fit and well-built man in comparison to the average Joe, yet the latter are probably doing duties that make his look like a walk in the park. Then there’s the celebrities who end up doing public service work which is reserved for those only with serious health or injuries that prevents them from performing adequately in military service (such as Heechul), though I don’t recall Shinhwa’s Jun Jin, Eric and Lee Min-woo having such problems – not to mention the majority of men in South Korea don’t even consider public service work as actual military work.

If celebrities are so enthusiastic about serving, at least do it right and obey the rules without making themselves look like a goddamn lazy arse in front of everyone. Hell, even celebrities that do military service in other countries have done far more.

All in all, Rain should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself and the ROK Army will need to find a more harder officer to be his immediate superior to keep him from doing such idiocy again for the remainder of his length of service while booting off the officers who were so lenient on him to someplace else in Korea.

While I admit that there always will be groups that will get more favor than others in the military (this exists in entire service branches and goes all the way up to the top – such as Army getting more than Navy or Air Force in budget, combat units getting the first load of new equipment over support units, more emphasis on infantry over armor etc.), if there’s an opportunity to punish someone acting out of line, I’d say go for it without hesitation. In this case, Rain and his immediate superiors.

lernotte

Just to clarify, Jun Jin had a very serious head trauma (to the point doctors weren’t sure he would make it) and a panic disorder, the latter still bothering him, so public service imho was really the best option both for him and for safety of people surrounding him.

Black_Plague

Oh, my mistake there.Thanks for letting me know :)

lernotte

You’re welcome))) And this is what I found on Minwoo and Eric (lol, I really got interested in the topic it seems): apparently, in 2006 Eric was hit by a car going on 40 km/h on the set of “Wolf” (the driver misunderstood the signals), drama got cancelled and Eric got in hospital.
Minwoo 2 months prior to his enlistment got into car accident described as “the car slipped on icy road and fell 5 meters off of a cliff”. So if he passed his medical check-up at that time it kind of makes sense.As for Dongwan (another public worker) – it’s a fascinating collection of accidents. Falling of stage and dislocating his shoulder – check! Fainting in the studio due to acute enteritis and enterostenosis – check! Getting rear-ended by a 3 -ton truck (sadly, his 20year old coordinator died at the scene)-check! Scary, to be honest….

Black_Plague

Dongwan’s case seems plausible enough for me but Eric’s one seems rather off, considering it happened years ago. How long was he in the hospital and how severe were his injuries? Did they affect him severely in recent years?

So much to ask :/ From Eric’s case, judging from what you’ve said, it almost sounds like he probably could have been put into a support unit instead (say, logistics, signals or even a desk job for some high-ranking officer) of public service work.

Black_Plague

Dongwan’s case seems plausible enough for me but Eric’s one seems rather off, considering it happened years ago. How long was he in the hospital and how severe were his injuries? Did they affect him severely in recent years?

So much to ask :/ From Eric’s case, judging from what you’ve said, it almost sounds like he probably could have been put into a support unit instead (say, logistics, signals or even a desk job for some high-ranking officer) of public service work.

lernotte

And I dug and dug and dug and voila! It’s still not much and not detailed, I’m afraid…
So, in 2006 Eric was hospitalized for 8 weeks. Reports differ on what exactly his injuries were: ankle(s), neck and waist for sure, knees debatable.
Then during Que Sera Sera he complained his back was hurting to the point he had to take painkillers daily.
In 2008 during filming of Strongest Chil Woo Eric was sent to hospital again plagued by strong back pains “After an X-ray examination, it was found that his 3rd and 4th spinal lumbar were protruding, and was told to refrain from any strenuous activity” ( DAUM).
So the logical conclusion is that he has recurring back/waist injury. How serious is it? Have no idea :)
The funny thing is that it was Dongwan who kind of worked for a high-ranking official (on Taxi mayor of Seodamungu easily recognized him) and Eric got…Sports Complex subway station.
Andy has some serious back problems, that’s for sure, and he was in active duty. By serious I mean wearing back support and getting injections when he performs on variety or dances.
Actually, I’d like to see an official ranking of diseases and injuries that define your place in active and public service. An unofficial one would be even better. An unofficial one distinguishing the consequences of the same injury for an ordinary person and for a celebrity would be gold….

Black_Plague

Coming from someone whose male relatives also served in the ROK Army and Air Force ever since the 50s (yes, as early as the Korean War – many did not survive, tragically) and planning to enlist in the NZ Army myself this year, I’d say that the idiots (yes both officers and noncoms) in charge of the unit he is in are just as much to blame for allowing him so much leaves in the first place though Rain himself ain’t innocent either. Far from it. I’d even go as to say celebrity soldiers that take cushy jobs in the military are an embarrassment.

Actually, I prefer that the military extend his service by another 6 months or even a whole year, transfer him into a frontline unit somewhere in the DMZ and be more strict about his time off-base. Screw whatever the fans or public would complain about it. Abusing the time-off you get is unacceptable and if I were the officer in charge of the unit Rain is in, I wouldn’t hesitate to have him doing a lot of manual labor as punishment and would have done the same to Boom and KCM and anyone else thinking they could abuse their free-time to such lengths, not to mention the consideration of demoting, especially if they get to the rank of a non-commissioned officer (such as corporals and sergeants). Having such men leading others would lead to awful discipline and low morale, which is absolutely unacceptable in the military.

Ironically, Rain probably had no problem with going through boot camp considering he’s an extremely fit and well-built man in comparison to the average Joe, yet the latter are probably doing duties that make his look like a walk in the park. Then there’s the celebrities who end up doing public service work which is reserved for those only with serious health or injuries that prevents them from performing adequately in military service (such as Heechul), though I don’t recall Shinhwa’s Jun Jin, Eric and Lee Min-woo having such problems – not to mention the majority of men in South Korea don’t even consider public service work as actual military work.

If celebrities are so enthusiastic about serving, at least do it right and obey the rules without making themselves look like a goddamn lazy arse in front of everyone. Hell, even celebrities that do military service in other countries have done far more.

All in all, Rain should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself and the ROK Army will need to find a more harder officer to be his immediate superior to keep him from doing such idiocy again for the remainder of his length of service while booting off the officers who were so lenient on him to someplace else in Korea.

While I admit that there always will be groups that will get more favor than others in the military (this exists in entire service branches and goes all the way up to the top – such as Army getting more than Navy or Air Force in budget, combat units getting the first load of new equipment over support units, more emphasis on infantry over armor etc.), if there’s an opportunity to punish someone acting out of line, I’d say go for it without hesitation. In this case, Rain and his immediate superiors.

Coming from my dad’s side of the family who has all served in the US military, and hearing stories from my grandfather who was imprisoned and tortured during wartime, I have sympathy for any man who is forced to enlist. A military is necessary, but it’s not for everyone. No matter how much I love my country, I will never serve, I could not get through it and would probably be a detriment to my nation after I probably got jailed for telling a commanding officer to go shove it, I was going to do whatever thing it is that breaks my code of ethics. Knowing the amount of injustices that can be found within the military, especially during war, I can’t blame someone for not being able to stomach the thought of serving. I would say the biggest sacrifice of serving is not even giving up prime years of their youth, it’s the mental distress they have to undergo. Some people never properly recover from that.

fanimnida

He should have the clock restarted on his mandatory service and be sent into the regular forces. Rain is an idol, someone who people look up to. I’m not saying he should get the worst jobs or treated unfairly bad, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but he shouldn’t get off with just a slap on the wrist. The military isn’t for everyone but as long as it’s mandatory in SK, Rain should do his best.

asianromance

I don’t get how his superiors could not have noticed that he was leaving base and taking so many vacations.

I’m sort of surprised that Rain would even dare do this. He was poor in his youth and has been known for his work ethic. Is being a celebrity turning his mind? Even if he was offered preferential treatment and his superiors were looking the other way because he’s a special snowflake, he should have known that there is a limit. Putting your life on hold for 2 years totally bites, but remember, it’ll suck more if everyone is giving you the stinkeye because you’re taking even more advantage of your already preferential status.

Black_Plague

The immediate superiors of the unit he’s in probably covered up for him along the way to avoid suspicion from anyone higher up or the military police. This sort of stuff tends to happen quite often in the military where junior officers or non-commissioned officers cover up for the enlisted troops under their command should the latter break the rules whether intentionally or accidentally.

I guess someone in a different unit residing nearby noticed it or a fellow member of the group Rain is in lost his patience with him for having so many leaves and decided to spill the beans.

More than anything else, I hate the fanfare that some of them un/intentionally create before and after their enlistment. Some of them did not even actively enlist, but when they’re discharge they all spout this nonsense of the hardship that they went through. I am not belittling the hardship that they had, but compare it to the regular guys who didn’t have the perks that this celebrities have, then it’s better for them to shut it.

I think taking this out on Rain and other celebrity soldiers never really addresses the real problem. Military is tough, and pll can definitely die from them, I have heard that soldiers who die during their enlistment, have their deaths kept hidden from the general public. This is so that pll would not get scared and try to run from serving in the army. I even hear that pll injure themselves to get out of it.

A celebrity, an international one at that, their deaths can not be hidden! So I think that their given more cushion jobs, away from the action so that they won’t get hurt. Just think about it. What if you do if you heard a famous celebrity died while he was in the military? Any normal person would be scared. Men also have the added fear of what is going to happen to their family.Really, the true question is that, is conscription really feasible anymore?

mangochic

Well there are still technically at war, so its still feasible. North Korea is still a rogue state

mangochic

Well there are still technically at war, so its still feasible. North Korea is still a rogue state

mangochic

Well there are still technically at war, so its still feasible. North Korea is still a rogue state

Please forgive my english.
At first, I thought that Rain was the Cat’s meow, but the more extentions he took to avoid doing his duty, the further down in respect he slipped until I was not surprised when his Armygate was made public. What I do not understand is why the non-celebrities accepted this unfairness division of perks for so long. N & S Korea is still at war, wouldn’t Korean males want to b as prepared as they possibly can be? Maybe I take a stronger stance on this because of my personal experience. I was 9 when my brother had to enlist in Europe, I really couldn’t understand why he, so anti-anything military would willing go to the army. the rough translation of what he said was “I am going out of respect for the people who lost their lives in such a terrible war, that made it so that I have to go now to protect my family and my unborn children lives”
To me, Rain, cannot even sit at the same table as my brother. Rain, will be forever known not for his class, looks, intergrity or moral compass, but as the person whose arrogance and disdain for his fellow soilders forced the S. Korean army to be fairer in its assignment of benifits. Fine legacy to leave for your children.

PZ

Totally agree with this article

anon325

Koreans should worry less about the ‘special treatment’ other Koreans get while U.S.military basically sh1ts and does whatever they want, going around camptowns, committing crimes against women, raping women and getting away with it, undermining ROK authority and sovereignty and so forth. U.S.military gets away with a hell of a lot more and they’ve occupied Korea longer than Japanese colonizer back then. They like to say they’re ‘helping’ against North Korea but guess what? THEY LIED BECAUSE THINGS LIKE BODO LEAGUE MASSACRE, NO GUN RI, KWANGJU WAS BLAMED ON NORTH KOREA BUT RECENT CIA DOCUMENTS REVEALED THEY WERE ALL UNDER U.S.ORDERS. SOOO UHHH, BASICALLY U.S.MILITARY MASSACRED TONS OF KOREANS. FIND OUT THE TRUTH YOURSELF. So its pretty narrow to only discuss korean soldiers conduct without focusing more on U.S. soldiers conduct and continued presence.